Rik Mayall funeral: Recap of updates as Bottom and The Young Ones star is laid to rest

The funeral of comedian Rik Mayall was held today from midday as his family invited fans to join them in thoughts and prayers

The funeral of comedian Rik Mayall, who died last week aged 56, will be held at 12 noon today. His family say it will be a private family service, but invited fans to offer their thoughts and prayers.

"Knowing the swell of love you all share with us we would like to let you, the fans, know that we will be having a private family funeral for Rik, as I am sure you will understand," Mayall's widow Barbara said.

"Thank you again for all your love and support to all our family, it brings great strength."

We'll be bringing you news and reaction from fans as the afternoon goes on.

12:50 pm

Friends and family have gathered to pay their respects to Rik Mayall.

Guests including Young Ones co-star Nigel Planer, Ruby Wax, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French were among mourners who attended the service at St George's Church in Dittsham, Devon.

Others who filed into the church, accompanied by Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade Of Pale on organ, were Alan Rickman and actor and director Peter Richardson, a long-standing friend with whom Mayall had worked repeatedly, particularly on the Comic Strip Presents films which helped to establish their careers.

Ben Elton, his old friend from university and one of his co-writers on The Young Ones, was also among the mourners who saw the wicker coffin - adorned with red flowers - carried into the church.

12:58 pm

Through the afternoon, fans on Twitter are planning to pay tribute to Rik Mayall in an unusual way.

Usuing the hashtag #FlickForRik, fans will pose for selfies, 'flicking the Vs' as Mayall did with famous regularity.

Ben Elton arrives for the funeral of Rik Mayall at St George's church in Dittisham, Devon

Here's comedian and author Ben Elton arriving for the service at St George's Church, Dittsham.

Elton co-wrote The Young Ones, the classic 1980s sitcom which provided Rik Mayall his breakthrough role as self-proclaimed anarchist and sociology/domestic sciences student Rick.

(These pictures were taken by a photographer who was invited by the family of Rik Mayall)

1:32 pm

PA

Here's Dawn French arriving at the funeral. She was a friend of Rik's and a co-star in the cult comedy series The Comic Strip.

The series, which produced 41 episodes and two feature films between 1982 and 2012, launched the careers of French and Saunders as well as introducing Mayall's partnership with Adrian Edmondson to a wider audience.

(These pictures were taken by a photographer who was invited by the family of Rik Mayall)

1:41 pm

PA

Ruby Wax came to pay her respects to Rik Mayall this afternoon.

Both Mayall and Wax were part of the 1980s alternative comedy scene, alongside Ben Elton and Dawn French. Mayall appeared alongside Wax in both television and stage productions throughout his career.

(These pictures were taken by a photographer who was invited by the family of Rik Mayall)

1:49 pm

Rik Mayall's fans were invited to offer their thoughts and prayers during this afternoon's service. Some fans on Twitter have chosen to pay tribute by taking photos of themselves giving a two fingered salute to the comedy legend, as he was frequently photographed doing.

Here's a few more tributes, which were posted using the hashtag #FlickForRick.

The petition, which has been set up on Change.org, reads: "We, the fans and friends, feel that we need a place where we can remember him and placing a memorial bench at this location is something we feel he would have loved. The council removed the original bench years ago, please sign our petition to have a memorial one replace it in honour of Rik, the legend, the irreplaceable Richard Richard."

So far it has reached 2,762 signatures.

2:12 pm

At 2pm, the time Mayall's family asked fans to share their thoughts and prayers, scores of tributes flooded onto Twitter and Facebook.

One way many chose to mark the occasion was by taking selfies of themselves sticking two fingers up at the camera as Mayall was wont to do.

Following today's private funeral, held in Devon where Mayall had a home.

A further memorial is expected to be held in September, though no details have yet been announced.

A spokesperson for Hammersmith & Fulham council, whom fans have been petitioning to erect a bench on the spot where Bottom's opening credits were filmed, said they were 'open to the idea.'

He said: ‘The council is interested in this idea to mark the talented comedian's link to Hammersmith and would like to speak to his family at an appropriate time to discuss if they would like him honoured in this way.’

Writer and Director Peter Richardson attended this afternoon's service at St George's Church.

Richardson founded the Comic Strip troupe, which went on to star in 41 TV episodes, 2 feature films and launched the careers of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, French & Saunders and Alexi Sayle among others.

(These pictures were taken by a photographer who was invited by the family of Rik Mayall)

2:46 pm

PA

Here's Jennifer Saunders arriving at this afternoon's funeral.

Saunders was part of the Comic Strip team, starring alongside both Rik Mayall and longtime comedy partner Adrian Edmondson, to whom she is married.

(These pictures were taken by a photographer who was invited by the family of Rik Mayall)

3:00 pm

ITV are to air a double bill of Rik Mayall tributes on Sunday night.

At 10.30, they'll show the first episode of The New Statesman, in which Mayall is introduced as freshly elected Conservative MP Alan B'Stard.

They'll follow that at 11pm with Rik Mayall Presents: Dancing Queen, a one off romantic comedy from 1993. In it Rik wakes up on a train to Scarborough with a stripper the night before his wedding, the result of a cruel stag night prank. The special also stars Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Clunes.

3:14 pm

Here's the Mirror's official tribute video to Rik Mayall, who died last week aged 56.

Coincidentally, the final episode of The Young Ones aired for 30 years ago today.

More Rik Mayall fans have been paying tribute to the comedy legend in an entirely appropriate way...by taking selfies of themselves flicking the Vs and posting them to Twitter with the hashtag #FlickForRick.

Sayle, who co-starred with Mayall in The Young Ones, wrote in the Independent: "Comedy is truly great when it comes out of nothing, and the greatest of comedians, like Rik, have that rare ability to conjure laugh after laugh, not from endless words, but from a single look or one absurd gesture... It was in his bones. Sweet Rik, much loved - what a loss."

(These pictures were taken by a photographer who was invited by the family of Rik Mayall)

3:33 pm

PA

Here's a picture of the order of service from today's funeral, which was held at St George's Church in the picturesque village of Dittisham, Devon.

(These pictures were taken by a photographer who was invited by the family of Rik Mayall)

3:39 pm

Today's service, led by Father Will Hazlewood, celebrated the career of the famously foul-mouthed comic and the mourners were heard to cheer and clap within the church.

Adrian Edmondson, with whom Mayall forged a friendship as a student in Manchester and who was his comedy partner for many of his most memorable series, was among the pall-bearers as the coffin was led from the church.

Guests filed out to the sounds of the Van Morrison hit Brown Eyed Girl.

A vintage Rolls-Royce, which carried Mayall's family to the service, struggled to cope with the incline which led to the church holding up the vehicles taking guests away from the service.

3:57 pm

PA

Adrian Edmondson smiled as he left Mayall's funeral, at which he served as a pall-bearer.

Edmondson was Mayall's long term comedy partner, playing Eddie Hitler in Bottom and Vyvyan in The Young Ones.